Each and every esteemed superhero ever to emerge from the similarly-supernatural hands of the Fantastic Four (that's Stan Lee, Bob Kane, Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster, by the way), have had at least one glaring weakness, one detrimental factor that, despite the seductively smouldering stares, kiss curls and overblown sound effects, barricade the path - like a stubborn OAP in a Tesco aisle - to ultimate invulnerability. Or alternatively, the chocolate McVitties. Take, for instance, the Daily Bugle's finest - Clark Kent - one whiff of Kryptonite and Jameson'll have Lois hastily penning his obituary. And your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man? Pubescent lust, or perhaps a very large wine glass... Now take Joe, for example. If someone told you that he's just an average guy, not a care in the world - somebody lied (oh, come on, I couldn't resist!). And if Joe's escapades in the previously unsound Movie Land are anything to go by, Joe shows absolutely no signs of imperfection, beating down the opposition in a scarlet blur of mach speed fury. In fact, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble opts to capitalise on Joe's supersonic strengths and while this may seem beneficial, these assets are in fact where Joe's true weaknesses lie...

But more on that naughty niggle later. You lot all want to hear about the fantastic plot, am I right? (Why am I talking to myself...?) Of course you do. It seems that Mr Director is in a state of dubiety as to who the star of his latest flick should be. Thankfully, Sprocket, along with her colossal cleavage (a formidable duo, I might add) manages to sway the Director into hosting a tournament to put the spandex-besotted-superheroes through their paces. And lo and behold, what have you got? That's right, a beat 'em up with the ability to call upon all manner of cherished characters such as Captain Blue, Sexy Sylvia (their words, not mine!) and err, Dante...as well as the many familiar locations to create the ultimate Capcom/Viewtiful Joe love-in! Hurrah!

While the Viewtiful Joe franchise has always been synonymous with nippy momentum and OTT particle effects as you exchange blows with the many mechanical foes, dust-up-devotees also cherished the immense skill level required, not to mention the novel little puzzles spread lovingly across the vibrant levels. Red Hot Rumble, however, is exactly that; a rumble so 'red hot' that any degree of skill and mastery becomes somewhat irrelevant and you'll begin to gaze at your PSP with a rather bemused facial expression as killer combos fall flat time and time again. But seriously, though, with the sheer quantity of cel-shaded combatants on screen, each moving at a speed only seen on the way to the toilet after a Mexican fiesta, you'd have a greater chance of finding Christina Aguilera wanting to get 'dirrty' in your bedroom, than finding your character on the PSP's diminutive and dinky little screen. There's just simply too much going on...

That's a real kick in the morph balls, because in reality, Red Hot Rumble is host to some of the most interesting gameplay mechanics ever witnessed in a beat 'em up. Playing like a cross pollination of Viewtiful Joe's high octane brawling, cross cut with WarioWare-esque minigames, planted in a Super Smash Bros arena, Red Hot Rumble's ballsy bouts are paced to perfection and you'll never be left to carry out suspiciously-samey or mundane tasks. From the off, Red Hot Rumble's mission-based approach to the genre tosses you in at the deep end, with objectives like eliminating as many enemies as humanly possible, with ravenous bats swarming the area like mothers at a Primark summer sale. Done? Good; as you'll now be ordered to gather the many harlequin gems that adorn the arena before that of your feisty foe, and while this may sound like a rather mindless doddle, each of the gems differ in value. Reckon you can nab those chunky, cherry-red gems enshrouded by enemies? Or do you want to play it safe, sneakily swiping the greens of a lesser value? Each of these rounds have to be carried out alongside one mission-critical objective too, and while they start off relatively facile, with objectives such as having to win two or more rounds, the difficulty level soon escalates 'up, up and away!' (aww...I couldn't resist that, either!), to rather non-viable objectives that fail the mission if you so much as fall. Gulp.

The success of each round determines the quantity of Viewtiful Coins awarded, but heck, they're everywhere, and you'll be dashing around the arena faster than Kelly Holmes on a staple diet of Lucozade and candy canes in order to collect them. Why? Because they'll boost your overall score significantly and make progressing to the next level a buoyant breeze. A key flaw, you ask? Well, those hard-earned coins tend to go astray amidst the frenetic fights, with enemies quite literally knocking them out of you, so you can imagine my untroubled delight when after successfully bettering the competition in previous rounds, the opponents had the audacity to snatch my coins during the final seconds. Expletives? Of course. Sobbing? A tad. Throwing the PSP from my sweaty palms? Not a chance, as while Red Hot Rumble is an undeniably one-sided affair - one in which getting 'better' is simply unachievable - you'll adore Joe's frenzied conflicts until the very last second, if only for the sheer hilarity of its pace.

Speaking of pace, I bet you're wondering how the many Viewtiful FX abilities have been integrated to such a beat 'em up, right? Well, this time around you'll become acquainted with a new addition. Joe, meet 'Sound'. Sound, meet Joe. It's a match made in sweet, sweet heaven. The main premise is that you're able to condense sound effects in order to unleash them onto deserving foes. Think of those devilish bullies at school, the ones that though it funny to inflate crisp packets and burst them behind your back, and you're halfway there. So what of the much-adored original VFX powers? No worries, Mach Speed, Slow-Mo and Zoom all make an appearance. However, while they were the main emphasis of the previous games, they feel somewhat throwaway in Red Hot Rumble. You see, with this much breakneck action on screen, you simply won't have the time or inclination to utilise them effectively. Can you really cope with the action getting any faster?! Not likely, as you'll struggle to track down your character ordinarily, meaning that the abilities feel like more of a hindrance than a help.

Occasionally, amidst the confusion, you'll trigger WarioWare-style microgames that'll not only offer you a mild breather, but also assist you in thieving those all important Viewtiful Coins. These unsystematic diversions are genuinely more exciting than an invite to the Playboy Mansion and are churned out at random, requiring you to keep your peepers peeled and thumbs to the ready. 'Rotate!' orders the prompt, informing you to rotate the PSP's analogue stick like your perplexed Grandad on Soul Calibur. Whereas 'Push' sees you 'thwacking' (in true Batman style) the face button in order to fill a power gauge, with that done, the opposing combatant drowns in a river of his own coins and it's up to you to nab them. Shallow? Perhaps, but 'shallow' doesn't necessarily equate to mind-numbing boredom; on the contrary, it's more satisfying than bursting bubble-wrap - and even more so with friends.

To be honest, Red Hot Rumble is best enjoyed with a bunch of close friends. Why? Because they too are none the wiser as to what's actually occurring on screen and you'll never feel as though the odds are against you. With up to four player supported by the magic of game-sharing, there's simply no excuses not to sample Red Hot Rumble's multiplayer modes, and even if they are nigh on identical to the Story Mode's bouts, they're a hell of a lot of fun. In fact, I haven't laughed so hard since Arnie took a seat as governor of Cah-lee-for-nee-aah. And believe me, folks, that's hard to beat...

Another aspect that'll have you coming back for more (just like Joe's trusty Voomerang, in fact) is that of the additional Time Trials spawning the incentive for replayability. These timed challenges scroll on for longer than a Nestlé Fruit Winder, and with objectives more varied than a pack of Revels, they'll undoubtedly see you playing well past bedtime as you aim to better your score. With tasks ranging from simple vertical dashes while dodging, erm, flowerpots, to hectic coin collecting, and tasks that'll see you racking up more kills than your combatant, there's plenty of fun to be had, even if they are fairly similar to the Story Mode's challenges.

As the name implies, the way in which Joe batters his rivals into submission (or pieces) is carried out with such a visual style and elegance that the neologism of Viewtiful is mandatory. Otherwise he'd be called something like Average Joe, or Just-On-Par Joe, and it wouldn't so much roll off the tongue as twist it in knots. Either way, I digress; Joe's viewtiful style has always been captured through the drop-dead-gorgeous visuals and animations, as well as the bouncy, well implemented techno soundtrack and stellar voice acting, and it's no different here; you'll gawp like a binocular-wielding Peter Parker after having spotted a nude MJ in the comfortable confines of her bedroom, and gasp as you glance at the glitzy graphics pumping from your PSP at such a rate, you'd think the experience rather numinous. Take for instance, the boss fight against the prehistoric Ace John (a ferocious dinosaur all the more intimidating than his unfortunate name suggests). This scene's awash with more colour and variety than L'Oréal's Féria range, which I understand is 'available in 25 trendy shades' (their words, not mine). Seriously though, this particular arena takes the form of a brick red bi-plane blazing over a breathtaking New York-esque, cel-shaded skyline as you do battle. Bombs explode, coins scatter and the sheer amount of enemies on screen enters double figures on many an occasion, and while visually stunning, this makes it all the more impossible to discern what's actually going on.

If you're looking for a top-notch brawler, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble simply isn't for you. It's like winning a competition to go on a date with Britney Spears and ending up with Vanessa Feltz; what you see isn't always what you get. And while Red Hot Rumble may appear as a conventional beat 'em up with a Viewtiful twist, emphasis remains solely on a series of shallow gameplay concepts, each feeling more out of place than Saddam Hussein taking the role of chairman at a world peace committee. Don't get me wrong, it's a load of fun, but for those of you new to the series, you won't find anything to take your fancy here. Red Hot Rumble is somewhat of a fan-fuelled affair, created for those Viewtiful veterans out there who just want a quick, quirky and, above all else, fun, piece of software to bridge the gap to the imminent 'threequel'.

Reviewed by Ricky Lee Staines for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).